


Little By Little

by Eliza_K_Hemstreet



Category: Code Black (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-01-21
Packaged: 2018-05-11 18:04:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5636605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eliza_K_Hemstreet/pseuds/Eliza_K_Hemstreet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Story begins after 1x11. The gradual progression of Christa and Neal's relationship as they get to know each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stuck

Set after “Black Tag”

“Nobody knows we’re down here.” Those words echoed in Christa’s mind. Given the situation, it was easy to let the looming sense of despair and worry set in, but Christa knew she needed to keep up hope. Somebody had to know she was missing by now. The hospital had received that call from Lily, and the rescuers had been notified to be on the lookout during searches. Christa fatefully stumbled across the family first. At some point, she hoped two and two would be put together and everyone would figure out her location. Until then, she was resolved to wait and keep her wits about her.  
She knew the gravity of the situation. She wasn’t alone, but three lives now depended on her knowledge and abilities. While Lily had minor injuries, her mother and brother had much more serious conditions and with limited medical supplies, there was no telling how long Christa would be able to keep them stable. They needed long-term treatment that could address their injuries directly, and Christa did not have the equipment needed in her small go-bag. But that was keeping them alive for now.  
As the minutes ticked by, the sense of urgency grew. The longer it took for them to be found, the worse the outlook became. And being found was only half the battle. Fog still eclipsed the highway, continuing to make seeing at night that much more difficult. There was no telling if others would be able to see the faint light of car headlights in the distant forest, indicating the lives out there. Even worse, they were completely dependent on others finding them. Christa had lost her radio, and her phone was useless without cell reception. The good news was that they were not very deep into the forest, but the challenge came from the steep incline down from the road to the forest floor below. It wouldn’t be easy to get help down safely. Alone, Christa couldn’t get the family up to the road without risking worsening their injuries. So, she was left to waiting and hoping someone would find them.  
Christa continued to ponder the situation as she squeezed the BVM, (bag-valve mask) keeping the brother breathing. She might be overanalyzing the situation, but she was also determined to remain calm. Thinking helped, and it kept her awake for now. Christa knew she had to fight off the exhaustion, because the marathon was only beginning. If she were asleep, she would be little help and she needed to keep the brother breathing and alive. Alive, they were alive. Besides, her fellow doctors had to know something was wrong. She had missed at least one check-in by now. The question was, when would they be called back to Angels? Most likely soon, once the majority of the patients had been transported back to the hospital. A hospital that was most likely in code black right now, mandating what will likely turn into twenty-four hour shifts or longer for the doctors. Even if the others knew she was missing, would there be time to search? Many more people demanded help back at the hospital. Would they look for her, or leave it up to somebody else?  
Looking around, Christa resolved once again not to give up. Lily’s courage kept Christa motivated. If anyone deserved help, it was her. This family had fought hard to stay together, and Christa was going to keep it that way. Christa might not have been able to keep her own family together, but she was going to try her utmost to save this one. There was no way in hell she was giving up now.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Neal’s mind was racing. “Okay people, that’s it. We’ve been called back to Angels,” announced Leanne, who made her way towards him.  
“You ready?” she asked.  
“Yeah,” he replied as he noticed Angus and Malaya making their way towards them. The four of them stood in a circle.  
“We need to get a move on,” commanded Leanne.  
“Wait a second, this circle feels too small,” Neal commented, “we are missing Mario, Heather, and Christa.” _Christa._ Neal felt warning lights go off inside his head. He knew he shouldn’t react this strongly, but Christa meant more to him than she should. .  
“Where are they?” asked Leanne. Turning to look at Malaya and Angus she asked, “Have you two seen them? Are they just finishing some things up, because I need them back here now.”  
“I’m actually kind of worried,” confessed Malaya, “Mario and Heather have both missed a check in, and Christa has missed three. No one has heard from her in over an hour,”  
_Over an hour._ As those words sunk in, Neal felt himself becoming more worried.  
“I’ll agree, that is concerning,” Leanne replied, “but we need to get back. And I can guarantee that the hospital is in code black right now, so we need all hands on deck. We can let the rest of the rescue crew know to look out for them as they clear the wreckage, so they should be found and we can get back to Angels.”  
“How do we know they’ll be found in a timely manner? What if they stuck are with patients and unable to get away, or somehow injured themselves?” Neal spoke up. “I’m worried too, and we’re not just missing one resident, but three,” said Neal as he made his case, “how do we know that salvage will get there in time? They might not be going to the right areas.”  
“True,” replied Leanne as she pondered his arguments. “Okay, I want you to stay here Dr. Hudson. I’m giving you two hours. Look for our missing residents, and if you can’t find them within that time frame I want you headed back to the hospital. You know as well as I do the sort of shape the hospital will be in when we get back. Now, do we know the last locations of any of the residents or have they gone into the Bermuda Triangle?” Leanne inquired.  
“Not really, no. I don’t think they are all together because Christa has been gone longer and they were at opposite ends of the crash. But Christa might have found Lily. It’s just a hunch, but she stopped responding to the radio transmissions about ten minutes after we were notified about her. And she was near a part of the highway that drops off into the forest…” Angus offered up his insight.  
“Okay, good,” replied Leanne. “Let’s go,” she announced, motioning to Malaya and Angus to follow her towards the truck. The Leanne turned to Neal. Looking him in the eye she said, “Good luck. Stay calm. Get some of those policemen to help you, some of them are just standing around.”  
“Thanks,” Neal replied as Leanne walked away. He slung his go-bag over his shoulder and went over towards the policemen. He somewhat hastily described the three doctors he was looking for to the two policemen who had agreed to help search. The three of them set off into the crash, in different directions as to try and cover the most ground. Neal felt his heart racing and his senses were on hyperdrive as he looked around, shining his flashlight and looking for any signs. One thing remained on his mind. _I have to find her._


	2. Remain Calm, It's Okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A worried Neal tries to find a missing Christa...

The number one rule in any emergency situation was to remain calm. Neal knew that, which was why he was doing his best to keep his heart rate down. At this point, he had been searching for forty-five minutes with no luck and the two-hour time limit weighed heavily on his mind. The last thing he wanted to do was to come back without Christa. So he kept walking, the trees becoming thicker around him and time seeming to only inch by. Neal carefully scanned his surroundings to make sure he wasn’t missing anything, and then he saw it. A small beam of light in the distance, off to the side of the road coming from somewhere through the trees. He wasn’t entirely sure if he was hallucinating or not.  
He stared at it carefully for a minute, to make sure it seemed real. Everything inside of him felt messed-up and conflicted right now. The light was still there. Neal decided he had to know. “Christa, can you hear me!?” he called out with desperation in his voice.  
________________________________________________________________________  
“Christa,” Christa thought she heard her name and looked around her surroundings to see if anyone was there, with no luck. She heard the same voice again, and it was a familiar British accent, “Can you hear me?”  
“Yes,” she called back, a sense of relief washing over her.  
“Are you okay?” Neal asked.  
“I’m fine,” Christa replied while adding, “I found Lily. She’s okay but her mom and brother have some serious injuries.”  
“I can come down and help you,” Neal offered.  
“NO,” Christa shouted back decidedly. She did not want him to risk getting injured on the steep terrain or losing his radio, but she shocked Neal a bit with her harsh response.  
“It’s too steep. Don’t risk it. I need you to radio our position and get a bigger rescue crew down here, one with backboards,” Christa shouted back as she explained.  
Neal weighed his options, but knew that Christa was right, especially after shining his flashlight more carefully so that he saw the steep slope leading down to the forest floor.  
“Okay,” Neal responded, and managed to communicate the situation over the radio. A small group of firemen and highway patrol officers were being sent to help, and would be there as soon as possible.  
“They’re coming with more help in another fifteen minutes. I’m staying here to so they know where to go,” Neal shouted so that Christa could hear.  
They were going to make it, Christa thought. She needed to hold on for at least another fifteen. But time continued to pass slowly.  
“Christa,” Neal called out again after a few minutes, sounding a bit worried.  
“I’m still here,” she replied to reassure him.  
Soon enough, the rescue crews arrived and managed to help get Lily’s mom and brother onto stretchers and they used ropes to help pull them up back onto the road. Neal helped pull them up, while Lily and Christa managed to help haul themselves back. Christa had never felt so relieved as she did when she saw Neal’s face, and she finally felt able to breathe. She did not know that he had been equally relived at the sight of her blonde ponytail.  
Neal jumped right in and helped the rescue crews carry the stretchers back to the ambulances. Christa walked behind them, holding Lily’s hand in support and even giving her a piggy-back ride for a little bit because Christa just could tell that Lily was getting tired with all that she had been through.  
__________________________________________________________________________  
Neal and Christa stood next to each other as the ambulances were being loaded and Lily’s cuts and bruises were being looked over by a medic in a nearby tent. A policeman approached Neal and said, “We’ve found your other two docs. They should be okay, but there was a standoff with the armed husband of a woman who was injured in the wreck. He forced them to treat her.”  
“Good, so Dr. Savetti and Dr. Pinkney are okay,” Neal confirmed.  
“Yes, just wanted to let you know,” the policeman informed.  
“Thank you,” Neal replied as the policeman left to complete other tasks.  
“What happened with them?” Christa asked, concerned.  
“Well, they missed the call back to Angels too and their check-ins, so we were searching for them as well. It sounds like the situation has been resolved though,” Neal explained.  
“That’s a relief,” she replied.  
“I was thinking that we should try to call Lily’s dad, or some other relative so that they can come to the hospital and get status updates about what is happening. Plus, they can take Lily home because she needs to rest after today,” Christa stated.  
“Yes, that would be good,” Neal agreed.  
“Lily should know the phone number we will need. I can get that for you to call,” offered Christa.  
“No, you call. You treated them so you know more, and this is a skill you need to have as a doctor, You’ll do fine,” Neal insisted.  
“Well, okay,” replied Christa. Turning towards Lily, she asked “Lily, is there anybody we can call to meet us at the hospital, like your dad maybe?”  
“Yeah. I know his phone number,” Lily offered up.  
“Great. Can you dial it on here for me so I can call him and tell him what’s going on? I’m hoping he can meet us at the hospital, and after checking on your mom and brother he can take you home because your injuries are not as serious,” Christa held out her phone to Lily, who carefully dialed the number.  
“You know what to do, right?” Neal asked.  
“I think so,” replied Christa as she waited for someone to pick up the phone, “Hello, am I speaking with a John Davis?...Okay. This is Dr. Lorenson. I’m afraid I have bad news for you. We have identified that your wife an children were part of a multi-vehicle crash and have sustained some serious and minor injuries.”  
“I was worried that they weren’t home yet, but I didn’t expect this…what happened to them? Are they okay?” he asked worriedly.  
“I’m sorry, I cannot disclose any information over the phone,” Christa said with an honest sincerity. “I am here with your daughter, who I can tell you has been very brave tonight and helped her family members,” Christa said to reassure him.  
“Good. Tell her I’m proud and I love her,” requested Mr. Davis.  
“Would it be possible for you to come to Angels Memorial Hospital? Once we’re there I can tell you more of what is happening…” Christa invited.  
“Okay, I can do that,” he replied carefully,  
“They’re doing okay, and I want you to know that I am going to do my best to keep it that way,” Christa affirmed.  
“Thanks. I’ll see you there. Dr. Lorenson, right?” Christa could detect the nervous tension in his voice.  
“Yes, thank you,” Christa said before she hung up and slowly let out a careful breath.  
___________________________________________________________________________  
“You did well,” Neal told her. He meant it seriously, as he had seen many doctors that struggle to deal with patient families with the same level of empathy and poise.  
“Thanks,” Christa said as she met his eyes, and he could see the hint of exhaustion behind them. “I think I’m going to ride back in one of the trucks with Lily, because I don’t want to leave her with social services and her dad should be meeting us back at the hospital. I also trust the paramedics,” Christa looked at Neal for a response.  
“That should work…I can probably ride in the ambulance with the mother or brother if they’ll let me, depending on whoever needs more help,” Neal offered.  
“In that case, I would say the brother because I think he has a broken trachea and I’m worried about keeping him stable. The mom most likely has a spinal…and we can’t do as much for that until we get to the hospital,” she reasoned carefully.  
“I agree,” responded Neal while their patients were being rolled into the ambulances carefully. He noticed that as the mother was covered in a heavy black jacket with a neon vest covering it. Unsure where it came from, Neal looked at Christa who was sure enough, missing her jacket. “Aren’t you cold?” he asked, looking down at her.  
“Not really,” Christa replied, her arms crossed carefully in front of her chest.  
But Neal knew better. He could see the goosebumps on her forearms despite the thin long-sleeved shirt she wore underneath her scrubs.  
“I’m going to inform the paramedics of Mrs. Davis’ status and then head over to the truck. You’ve got the brother?” Christa asked. Despite a brief moment of waiting to get the ambulances situated, it was time to get moving.  
“Yes. See you later,” Neal replied as he started to get moving.  
“Thank you,” Christa told him, and the look of sincerity and gratitude in her eyes made it all worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, feedback is very much appreciated. I had hoped to update sooner, but it took me longer to find my footing for this chapter.


	3. Marathoning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written before 1x13, includes some elements from the plot 1x12, but retold slightly with some added moments.

“I’m going to park you at the nurses’ station,” Christa told Lily as they walked. Lily’s father had not arrived yet, and Christa was due to help Neal with a trachea surgery for Lily’s brother. Therefore, she resolved that the nurses would enjoy Lily’s company and it would be better than having to call Child Services.

“Okay, I shouldn’t be anymore than three hours, but closer to two. I’ll introduce you to Nurse Amy, I think she will like you and keep an eye on you,” Christa told Lily.

“Okay,” replied Lily. Christa proceeded to introduce the two.

“Nurse Amy, I’d like you to meet Lily,” Christa announced.

“Hello Lily. It sounds like we are going to hang out for a bit,” Amy contended.

“Hi,” said Lily, looking Amy in the eye.

“I really have to get going now,” Christa said gently.

“We should be fine here,” Lily reassured, looking up at Christa carefully.

“You got it,” replied Christa, and she proceeded to fist bump Lily before starting down the hallway to the operating room.

Christa managed to make it less than halfway down the hallway when Jesse stopped her.

“Hey, Christa. You alright?” Jesse asked.

“Of course. Why?” Christa responded, concerned.

“Well, you were missing for a little while and people were worried about you. Besides, I am still not sure how you managed to find them all or get down there,” Jesse offered.

“It wasn’t exactly graceful,” Christa admitted.

“We can’t all be swans,” Jesse reminded her.

“I know. It was more of a lucky accident. I managed to see the car’s headlights and once I knew I had found her, I went to go help. It was very steep, so I slipped and rolled down until I reached them,” explained Christa.

“Sounds kind of rough. Did you hurt anything falling down?” Jesse questioned.

“Don’t worry; I’m fine. I did dislocate my shoulder though,” Christa confessed, “Lily actually helped get it back into place so I could do a tracheotomy. I’m keeping an eye on it.”

“Okay, but take it easy,” Jesse told her while giving her a careful look.

“Yes Mama. I really need to go now,” Christa said, with a strain of urgency in her voice.

“I agree,” spoke up a voice from behind her.

Christa flinched slightly, startled. She turned around and found herself just inches from Dr. Neal Hudson. She looked up to meet his eyes. “Sorry, I got held up,” Christa apologized.

“You two better get a move on,” interrupted Jesse as he dismissed himself.

“Let’s go,” Neal echoed, his tone impatient as he began walking rapidly towards the OR with Christa following behind.

“Get ready to scrub up,” he told her and then added, “You didn’t tell me you dislocated your shoulder.”

“It slipped my mind amid all the chaos, to be honest. I needed both hands to properly perform the tracheotomy, and I instructed Lily on how to pop my shoulder back into place. She managed to do it and we moved on,” Christa did her best to offer an explanation.

Neal raised his eyebrows suspiciously, meeting Christa’s determined gaze.

“Are you sure it was put back properly?” Neal wasn’t quite convinced.

“Yes. I know how to treat a dislocated limb,” said an exasperated Christa. She rolled up the sleeve of her scrub so that Neal could see her shoulder, but the long-sleeved shirt she wore as an extra layer still covered it. “Look at it if you need to so that we can move on from this.”

Neal peered down a bit and observed her shoulder carefully. He could see that it was just a little swollen, as expected, but other than that her shoulder was in the right place.

“Alright, just watch it carefully,” Neal resolved.

“I will,” Christa reassured, but she got the sense that her promise did not completely satisfy Neal. There wasn’t time to worry about her shoulder though.

Neal focused his attention on the surgery. The trachea was delicate, and Neal wanted to do his best to make sure the teen would have the lowest amount of scarring possible. There was a sort of tension in the air, with everyone holding their breath until the surgery was finished and the patient stable. Periodically, he would make light conversation with Christa to try to ease the tension.

He was not sure if she knew it, but Neal was proud of Christa. She helped save a family while stuck in a situation with a very uncertain outlook. Christa stayed calm and kept her wits, working diligently with what resources she had. Neal had worked with many excellent and knowledgeable doctors, but he was uncertain if all of them would have been able to perform as well under the same conditions. Christa had compassion, creativity, resourcefulness, and wisdom, which he valued. Take using a pen as an impromptu tube for a tracheotomy, or the way she connected with Lily.

“Does the fear ever go away?” Christa asked him. Neal did his best to reassure her because he knew that the sort of thing she experienced could be sobering. From what he knew about fear, it never completely went away. They all became better at managing it or burying it, but the weight of the knowledge that another person’s life is in your hands never becomes any lighter.

“You’re a great doctor, Christa. Do yourself a favor; admit it,” Neal said. He wanted her to know that he believed in her. Neal saw the potential, and the last thing he wanted was for Christa was to doubt herself.

Christa was walking by the front desk of the E.R. when she noticed a man standing and talking to a nurse.

“I’m looking for a Dr. Lorenson…” Christa heard a snippet of the conversation. She examined the man more closely, and given his age and appearance she figured he was Lily’s father having arrived at the hospital. Christa approached him and politely interrupted, “Excuse me, are you Mr. Davis?”

“Yes, I’m here for my wife and kids. I spoke to a Dr. Lorenson on the phone,” he said hopefully.

“That would be me. I should be able to take you to see them,” Christa introduced herself.

“Yes please. What happened?” asked Mr. Davis as Christa proceeded to lead him to the correct room.

“Well, Lily has some minor bruising. Your son broke his trachea and is in recovery from surgery to fix it. Your wife suffered a spinal cord injury and we are still uncertain of the extent of the damage,” Christa told Mr. Davis the situation, and she saw the shock and worry glaze over his eyes.

“They are all recovering well for now. More than anything, they will be happy to see you so enjoy being together. They have all been very brave,” Christa tried to reassure him.

“Here we are. I’m going to leave you all to enjoy being together. Doctor Hudson or I should come by later to check in. Let me know if you need anything,” Christa offered and then proceeded to watch a relieved Mr. Davis hug Lily and then his wife.

She gently slipped out and closed the door, leaving the family to their privacy.

Christa watched as Neal checked Mrs. Davis’ reflexes, with a hopeful Lily by her mother’s side. However, as he gently scored the instrument along the sheet of the hospital bed and it was confirmed that she was lying for her daughter Christa and Neal shared a sad smile. As they left the room, Christa made note to talk with Lily’s mother. While there was no doubt that Mrs. Davis was a strong woman, Christa did not want her to deceive her daughter. Christa understood trying to maintain hope for your own child, yet she knew Lily was strong enough to face the truth.

After a long, grueling shift the E.R. was showing signs of steadying, or as much as that ever happens. With the patients from the accident having been treated, it took some of the pressure off. Regardless, Angles would still probably be in Code Black for at least another day while patients from the accident were treated and Angels tried to keep up with the usual influx. There was enough time for the doctors to go home, sleep a bit and then they had to be back in eight hours. Life at Angels never really slowed down.

Neal found Christa observing the small crowd around the entrance to the hospital at a distance and stopped to stand next to her.

“Where are you headed?” he asked.

“To bed. Want to come?” Christa asked, somewhat jokingly while raising her eyebrows slightly.

Neal was not sure if he was hearing correctly.

“Ummm…” Neal replied, left speechless.

Christa simply rolled her eyes. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she said gently. “Why are all these people gathered outside?” Christa asked, unaware of the viral photo.

Neal carefully explained to a surprised Christa that they were reporters who wished to interview her. She was nervous, and Neal tried to give her confidence. He meant it when he said she looked beautiful.

Christa seemed genuinely pleased and was humble about it, going to talk to the press in the hopes that once they had an interview they would stop creating commotion in the E.R. entrance.

He couldn’t help but grin as she spoke to the reporters with poise despite her exhaustion. Christa may not have recognized her own bravery, but Neal was glad that other people, himself included, we able to see it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update took a little longer, unfortunately. I have really enjoyed the past two episodes and they made my Christeal shipper self very happy. Comments are appreciated. Enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This is my first fanfic, so constructive criticism is appreciated.


End file.
